Carrier



Jan. 30, 1934. G. P. CRUTCHFIELD CARRIER Filed June 28, 1932 ill 3 Fl/9WGraham 1? Crufchfield llll Patented Jan. 30, 1934 UNETED STATES A'EN'i'2 Claims.

My invention relates to a carrier for supporting reciprocating steelrods or cables, termed pull or shackle rods, employed in the multiplepumping of oil wells, but it is to be understood 5 that a carrier, inaccordance with my invention is also designed for use in any connectionfor which it is found applicable.

As is well known in multiple pumping of oil wells, each pull rod ismounted. in and slides back and forth in spaced supports termedcarriers. This is a source of serious friction and necessitates theconstant lubrication of the supports The lubricant used is a source ofanother serious difiiculty, as rain washes it off; dust fills it full ofgrit and cold weather hardens it. These adverse weather conditionsfrequently increase friction on the supports to such a point that thepower can no longer pump the usual number of wells, and some of thewells have to be disconnected until the supports can be supplied withfresh lubricant.

To overcome the several objectionable features referred to is the aim ofmy invention which is attained by providing, in a manner as hereinafterset forth, a carrier which will materially reduce friction; capable ofbeing employed without lubrication; having no sliding contact with therod; of full roller bearing type, unaffected by weather conditions;having no lubricant thereon to harden or to be washed off; and to attainthese ends in a'strong, durable, compact, thoroughly efficient, simpleand inexpensive structure.

pull rod.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the carrier looking towards an edge thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the carrier.

The carrier includes a roller having a grooved edge and its body partcan be composite or of one -piece.

wear face of any desirable material.

It may be set up with a renewable By way of example, the roller is shownas having a onepiece body part constructed of any suitable metallicmaterial and of the desired thickness and diameter.

The roller generally indicated at 1 includes a body part 2 having anaxial opening 3. The edge 4 of body part 2 has an endless groove 5 ofsemi-oval cross section.

Extending through the opening 3, as well as being fixed to the wallthereof is a rolling pin 8 formed of a central portion 7, a pair ofcurved tapered intermediate portions 8, 9 and a pair of end portions 10,ll of circular cross section disposed in alignment with the longitudinalmedian of portion 7. The portions 10, 11 are of like and uniformdiameter throughout and the diameter of each is materially less thanthat of portions '7. The smallest ends of the portions 8, 9 merge intoand are flush with the inner ends of the portions 10, 11 respectively.The largest ends of portions 8, 9 merge into and are with the ends ofportion 7. The length of portion '7 is greater than that of eitherportion 19, 11. The portions 8, 9 are of less length than portions l0,11, the latter being of equal length. The roller 1 is disposed centrallyof portion '7, and the latter extends from each side face of body part2. V

The carrier also includes a pair of parallel spaced track elements l2,13 for the end portions 10, 11 respectively of the rolling pin 6. Thetrack elements are mounted in a support in a manner to permit of themanual adjustment thereof, that is to say for intermittently rotatingthem relative to their support to present new wearing faces for the endportions of the pin 6. Each track element comprises a track or railforming part 14 of circular cross section provided at one end withperipheral threads 15 and at its other end with a head 16. Carried byportion 15 is a nut 17 which associates with head 16 for detachablyanchoring the element to the support, the latter being common to bothtrack elements. The pin 6 reciprocates upon elements 12, 13simultaneously with the rolling thereof.

The support for the track elements is generally indicated at 18 and itincludes a rectangular plate 19 having each end thereof provided with apair of spaced vertical oblong arms having their outer lengthwise edgesflush with the side edges of plate 19 and their outer side faces flushwith the end edges of the latter. The arms at one end are indicated 20,21 and those at the other end at 22, 23. The arm 20 is arranged inparallel spaced relation to the arm 22 and the arm 21 is arranged inparallel spaced relation to arm 23. Each of said arms is of rectangularcross section. The lower ends of the arms are disposed transversely withrespect to plate 19. The ininer lengthwise edges of the arms 20, 22 arearranged in parallel spaced relation with respect to the innerlengthwise edges of the arms 21, 23 respectively. Each of said arms isformed with a pair of spaced superposed aligning openings 2%, 25 in theupper portion thereof. The openings in arm 20 align with the openings inarm 22. The openings in arm 21 align with the openings in arm 23. Thearm 20 is connected with the arm 22 by a vertically disposed web 26which is integral with plate 19 and arms 20, 22, as well as having itsinner face flush with the inner lengthwise edges of the arms. The arm 21is connected with the arm 23 by a vertically disposed web 27 which isintegral with plate 19 and arms 21, 23, as well as having its inner faceflush with the inner lengthwise edges of the arms. Each web is of athickness materially less than the width of an arm. Formed integrallywith the lower face of plate 19 is a depending socket forming member 28for anchoring element 18 or for securing the latter to a standard orother supporting device. The member 28 includes a tubular body part 29having opposed lengthwise cutouts 30 opening at the lower end of bodypart 29, and the latter is also formed with opposed lengthwise extendingslots 31. The lower end of body part 29 is laterally enlarged as at 32and is formed with a beveled bottom edge 33.

The openings 25 are arranged above the webs 26, 27. Normally each trackelement is arranged to extend through a pair of aligning openings 25 andrevolubly support the rolling pin 6 during the reciprocating of thelatter.

A pull rod 34 is shown as supported in the groove 5 of roller 1. Thealigning openings 24 are to be used for receiving the track elementswhen it is desired to hold down on rod 34, the latter inthis case wouldbe placed under roller 1.

A pull rod or other object resting against roller 1 may have areciprocating motion substantially greater than the reciprocating motionof the pin which supports the roller, and therefore the constructionv asreferred to provides a full roller bearing guide and support of simpleand compact form for any object having a reciprocating motion.

The rolling pin 6 is so shaped that the roller is forced to move in aplane parallel to the tracks or rails. The intermediate portions 8, 9 ofpin 6 provide the action just referred to. The arms act as stops tolimit the travel of pin 6 in opposite directions. The roller, pin andtrack elements are separately replaceable. The arms and plate of thesupport 18 provide a pair of spaced opposed reduced yokes for removablysupporting the track elements.

What I claim is:

1. In a carrier, a horizontally disposed supporting plate, two spacedpairs of vertical arms, the arms of each pair being arranged in parallelspaced relation and integral at their lower ends with the upper face ofsaid plate, the arms of each pair being free of connection to each otherat their upper ends and each provided intermediate its ends with anopening, the openings in each pair of arms arranged in parallelism, anda removable track forming element mounted in the openings of the arms ofeach pair for bridging the space between the arms, said elements forsupporting a reciprocatory rolling unit and arranged in parallel spacedrelation.

2. In a carrier, a horizontally disposed supporting plate, two spacedpairs of vertical arms, the arms of each pair being arranged in parallelspaced relation and integral at their lower ends with the upper face ofsaid plate, the arms of each pair being free of connection to each otherat their upper ends and each provided intermediate its ends with anopening, the openings in each pair of arms arranged in parallelism, aremovable track forming element mounted in the openings of the arms ofeach pair for bridging the space between the arms, said elements beingof circular cross section and arranged in parallel spaced relation, areciprocatory rolling pin having an intermediate portion confinedbetween and formed with reduced end terminal portions raveling upon saidelements, and a roller provided with an axial opening for the passage ofthe pin, said roller arranged between said pairs of arms and bodilycarried with the pin.

GRAHAM P. CRUTCHFIELD.

